From the Abstract to the Practical
by DrivvenWrinth
Summary: shikanaru multichap: Shikamaru learns the hard way that Abstract thought is a lot simpler than Practical application where Naruto is concerned. Nothing ventured nothing gained! Angst, Language, Yaoi Male/Male
1. Chapter 1

From the Abstract to the Practical

Authors Note: This story was originally only posted in livejournal and adultfanfiction, but I was asked to do a cleaner version of the story, so here it is. The smut has been removed and the cursing toned down. I have tried to smooth the edges from where I removed parts of the story. I hope you like it. If you are over 18 years of age, you can go read the more explicit version on aff, if not, sorry. If you like it then padfootsmoony13 is the one you should thank, 'cause I'm not sure I wouldn't have made the alterations and posted it here without padfootsmoony13's request.

And always Thanks to my betas Cutsycat & FairyNiamh. (Especially Cutsycat, 'cause she helped me fix this one just for this post.)

Thanks, enjoy.

Chapter = Unreceived Butt Kicking: Deserved and Undeserved

The other boy was almost done dressing. The others had already left. Naruto would have been the first out the door, except for Kiba's little prank. Shikamaru hadn't offered to help Naruto untie the multitude of knots in the legs of his pants and the arms of his orange jacket. He'd just slowly begun putting on his own clothing. He was almost done dressing too. All that was left was to put his outer shirt and vest over his mesh t-shirt. Naruto's cursing had been part of the reason he had given the other boy so much space.

At the moment, Shikamaru's mind was whirling with possible outcomes. He was actually trying to convince himself that a better opportunity might present itself and if he moved now, he wasn't making the best strategic choice. There was just so much uncertainty to this, especially with Naruto involved. Nothing went as planned where the chaotic blond was concerned.

Naruto had his pants on and the jacket lay at his feet, crumpled, but knot free. The boy was struggling with the second of two knots that his "friend" had tied in his black t-shirt. Shikamaru only half heard the things the grumbling Naruto planned to do to that "friend".

It galled him, but he knew if he didn't take this opportunity, his growing impatience would push him into making a move at a less opportune time. We are all alone, it's closing time and the place is almost empty. The staff will be cleaning on the other side of the baths. They always start with the women's side, first. Shika wished he wasn't right. Big chicken, he goaded himself.

Shikamaru was so intent that he almost missed the opening of the door as Naruto stepped outside of the changing area, carrying his jacket. It's now or never, he sighed to himself. Shika stepped to the open doorway. He wasn't quite looking at Naruto, when he heard the gasp of surprise. His shadow had snaked out in a serpentine pattern. Totally unnecessary, since Naruto was right in front of him and hadn't even known what was happening to try to evade it. It was another indication of Shikamaru's uncertainty.

"What the heck, Shikamaru?!" Naruto roared.

He put a lot of effort into sounding calm, even cocky. He felt far from either. "I never took you for a tease, Naruto."

He let Naruto look behind him as he began walking backward, slowly, into the dressing room. Naruto glared at him as he followed. Good, he's totally off balance. Just can't keep him that way for too long, Gods know what he might do…

"What game are you playing? I need to get out there and kick Kiba's butt, before he can get home!"

"You talk pretty big, ya know? All that stuff about being open to anything….." Shika let the sentence trail off, referring to a very interesting conversation the group had been having about sexuality. He really didn't think anyone in the group had a clue about the practical side of things. He was certain that they were all virgins. But lately, the practical side of things had been occupying more and more of his thoughts. And for whatever reason, those thoughts led to Naruto.

It had surprised him. He had always thought that he was in love with or at least attracted to Ino. But when his thoughts went past the abstract; he just didn't, couldn't think of her. Six months ago, he had forced himself to the realization that it was the bubbling ball of chaotic energy, standing right in front of him, who set fire to his blood.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Naruto's voice was low, almost a growl.

Shika recognized the warning in it. 'Stop messing with me!' that growl said.

"Frightened?" was all he said. He took advantage of the confusion that caused to release the jutsu and close the three foot distance between them. Just after he wrapped his arms around the other boy's torso, as Naruto began to react, he re-established his hold on Naruto's body. The right side of his face rested against Naruto's hair. He could feel the heat of Naruto's body through the boy's t-shirt.

Shika was only a few inches taller than Naruto. His head was bent slightly so that his mouth was almost against Naruto's ear.

"You asked what I wanted from Ino for my birthday, like you thought you knew what it was." Shika let his breath out heavy with each whispered word. He felt Naruto's body stiffen and then shiver in response. His stomach flipped. Please, don't let him kill me for this, he prayed.

Naruto felt Shika's warm wet mouth brush against his neck. His own head had turned a little, mimicking Shikamaru's. "Oh God, what are you doing?!" Shika didn't answer right away. His mouth stayed in that spot, slowly moving from light brushing kisses, to a warm wet sucking that made Naruto's knees weak, and ending with a slow circling lick that had Naruto ready to jump out of his skin. Shika blew a cool breath against the wetness of Naruto's neck making him gasp in response.

"The only thing I want for my birthday," Shikamaru was breathing against his ear again. "is a kiss, from you."

With that said, Shikamaru released Naruto from the jutsu, removed his arms from his body, stepped back about three feet, and prepared himself for all hades

to break loose.

Naruto knew he could move again. He just couldn't move. Something beyond shock held him in place. He should have been pissed. He should have turned around and kicked Shikamaru's butt. He wasn't and didn't want to. He felt drained. Like someone had scooped out the inside of his head.

He said, Naruto tried to shake the cobwebs loose, but couldn't even get his head to move. He said…he wanted THAT from ME. It's the only thing he wants…. Naruto knew Shikamaru wouldn't joke like this. He wouldn't find a joke like that funny. He wasn't twisted or warped. Shikamaru, for all his slacking, was about the straightest of all of them. He wouldn't lie about this either. He's put himself out on limb……and he's waiting for me to……What?!

"Crud Shika, what am I supposed to say to that? I should kick your butt for what you just did!"

That was not among any of the responses Shikamaru had anticipated. Naruto almost sounded rational. Shika fought the urge to run. Naruto was scary like this. He couldn't even think of a response. He was caught in fight or flight mode and just couldn't shift gears fast enough.

"Look, let's just let this go. Like it never happened, o.k.? I don't think I can deal with this right now. Maybe..." Naruto sighed heavily. "Maybe we can talk about it later, if we have to." With that Naruto actually left the room. Shikamaru was in no condition to stop him.

Naruto quietly slipped into the trees outside the front door and moved a little deeper into the thick cover. Bracing his right hand against one of the sturdy trunks, he leaned forward, trying to cope with the dizziness. His head was spinning and for some reason, he could feel the Kyuubi seal sizzling just below the skin of his stomach. Without thinking, he raised his left hand to touch the place on his neck where Shikamaru had driven his words home.

"I liked it." He whispered to the old tree. "I shouldn't have liked it, right?" The seal burned hotter in answer, the dizziness increased, and Naruto almost blacked out. He grabbed the tree and slid to the ground, certain that he wouldn't be going anywhere for awhile.


	2. Chapter 2

From the Abstract to the Practical

Chapter = Shopping Gone Wild aka To Chicken Out or Not

Three days had passed and Naruto had done a very good job of avoiding Shikamaru. Of course that meant avoiding almost everyone else too, since they were all so wrapped up in planning for the young Nara's eighteenth birthday. There was going to be a celebration in a small village outside of Konoha that night and Shika's parents were making arrangements for all of Shika's friends to go and stay the night. 

Everyone in the group was excited about getting out of the village for something other than a mission. There was always the possibility of a mission taking precedence over the festivities for one or even all of the teams, but they were all feeling pretty optimistic. Ino and Sakura had been planning their outfits for weeks. Naruto was sure that Ten Ten and Hinata were doing pretty much the same thing. 

Naruto still had to go shopping. He had to get at least one sort-of dressy outfit, just so the girls wouldn't kill him. Sakura and Ino had offered to help him shop. When he turned them down, they had threatened him. "There is no way I am walking around with you in that dumb orange jumpsuit! Do you hear me, Naruto?!" Sakura had bellowed, fist raised and everything. "And no orange. Absolutely NO Orange." Ino hissed between her teeth. 

Naruto looked in the window of one of the shops. Jeez_, what a pain_: he thought and then really wished he hadn't. Any reminder of Shikamaru brought back a very vivid memory of sensations that Naruto was trying very hard to forget. It wasn't working. If anything, things were getting worse. Just thinking about the "experience" caused strong physical reactions. Naruto pressed his head against the cool glass and tried to think calming thoughts. 

Bang, Bang, Bang. "Iruka-sensei! Iruka-sensei, you home!" 

Iruka rushed to the door, not certain it could withstand a second assault. Naruto beamed at him and pushed past him into the room. His arms were loaded with packages. Somehow the boy managed to get his sandals off without setting even one box or bag down. Iruka was a little impressed. 

"What can I do for you, Naruto?" 

"Man, I need help." The boy said sheepishly. 

Iruka was tempted to ask his favorite former student when he didn't need help, but stopped himself, just in time. "What do you need help with?" he asked with more than a little trepidation. With Naruto, one never really knew what to expect. 

"You know about Shikamaru's birthday right?" Naruto didn't wait for Iruka to answer, he just barreled on. "I have to look good or Sakura and Ino are gonna kill me. I think they might just be serious this time." He paused for a quick breath. "I went shopping and Man, there are way too many clothes out there, ya' know?! Anyway, I had no idea what I was doing and the sales lady kept making me try stuff on and asking what I thought. Like, I have a clue. So I got sick of trying stuff on and just bought all the stuff she had me try on. Now I have no idea what to do. What goes with what?! And I can't wear orange, 'cause Ino'll completely explode. Please Iruka-sensei, help me. Paahleeeeeeze." He ended with a pathetic little huff as he and his packages collapsed on the floor. 

It was moments like this that Iruka could clearly remember a much younger Naruto. Sometimes the boy was way too cute to be seventeen. "O.K., we need to start by looking at what you have here. Let's start categorizing, there's a lot of stuff here." _So much for grading papers tonight, maybe, we'll just have a pop quiz tomorrow and I can make up the rest tomorrow night…_. 

Shikamaru had been miserable for a week. There was no way he was going to enjoy tonight. 

"Hey, Shika! Over here!" Kiba's voice carried almost as well as Naruto's. Shika waived and started to make his way through the crowd to the front of the theater. 

"So, Shika. Big plans for your birthday, eh?" Shino managed to get right behind him, without Shika even noticing. He appreciated the other boy's skills, but had to admit, Shino creeped him out most of the time. 

"Neh, you already know all the plans, going to that festival thing with you guys and my parents." 

"Not what he meant, dunce. Boy, for a genius, you aren't real quick sometimes." Kiba snickered and Shino chuckled. 

Shikamaru's heart almost stopped. There was just no way. No way would Naruto tell these two about what he'd done…..what he'd said. Suddenly his head hurt and he felt sick to his stomach. 

"Hey here comes Ino. So, you gonna make a move tonight or what……..Hey, you don't look so good. You O.K.?" 

Shika didn't look up at Kiba. Afraid the relief he felt would be too clear on his face. They meant Ino. _I almost had a heart attack!_ he screamed in his head. 

"I am not up for this today. I'm going home." he said aloud and turned without looking at either of them or towards the approaching Ino. He moved away as quickly as he could without actually running away. 

Naruto finished up at the Mission office later than expected. How the Hokage could stick him with filing duty, was beyond him. He was starved. Anko had been in a hurry to get out of the archive room, so she'd suggested that the two of them skip lunch. It was past supper time now. _Oh, well; at least I won't have to spend tomorrow with that witch too._ Anko really knew how to push Naruto's buttons and enjoyed it immensely. _Psycho cow!_

"Hey! Naruto!" Man, Kiba's voice could really carry over a crowd. Naruto looked in the direction of his bellowing friend. "Oh, crud!" He'd forgotten all about the movies. He'd been so distracted that he'd taken the wrong way home. It was his usual route, but he'd planned on going the long way home, tonight. He'd wanted to avoid the monthly movie outing with his friends. He'd wanted to avoid Shikamaru. At least until the festival. He couldn't get out of that, not without a lot of questions from the group. Not unless a mission came up and things had been slow for the Chuunin ranks lately. Almost all the missions had been Jounin level. 

The crowd outside the theater was larger than normal. Naruto remembered that the movie opening tonight was supposed to be a really good action flick. "Hrrrrr," he groaned. "I really wanted to see this one." All the guys did. The girls were probably just coming for something to do. Naruto started thinking up excuses as he walked toward the small group. He didn't see Shikamaru and that was just fine. Naruto really didn't know what he would say when he did see him. 

"Kiba, could ya' be any louder?" Naruto asked forcing a relaxed looking smile on his face. The next step was an over exaggerated stretch, followed by a big yawn. 

"Don't tell us, you're going to pass on the movie too, Naruto." Neji's cultured voice always seemed out of place when he spoke in this group. 

"Huhn…wha? Who isn't coming?" Naruto could see Lee standing next to Sakura, who was talking heatedly with Ino. Ten Ten, Hinata, and Choji were already inside the glass doors, in line at the snack bar. Ten Ten and Hinata had gotten to be pretty close lately. Naruto thought it was a good thing, 'cause sweet unobtrusive Hinata wouldn't have stood a chance with Ino or Sakura as a best friend. Shino stood in between Neji and Kiba. The only person he didn't see was….. 

Shino interrupted Naruto's thoughts, "Shikamaru showed up, but he wasn't feeling well, so he went home, rather quickly." 

"Oh, yeah. In the time it took me to say hello to him, he turned white, then green, then bailed on us. It was weird, man. I hope it's not contagious." Kiba shivered a little. 

"He prob'ly just got a whiff of you. We're you down wind or what?" Naruto couldn't resist the jibe. He still owed Kiba for the knots. 

"Naw, I'm not bailin' on ya'. Just a little tired after all that filing. I could use a good movie." Naruto felt a lot more relaxed knowing that he wouldn't have to deal with Shikamaru yet. He wasn't being a chicken, no not at all. He just wanted to have a little more time to sort stuff out. Yeah, that was it. 


	3. Chapter 3

From the Abstract to the Practical

Chapter = Kiba in Control and the Beginning of Perv Naruto

The red mark had almost faded by the time they reached the edge of the festival grounds, just outside the village. Naruto hadn't rubbed the left side of his face in some time. Shika stole a glance at his obsession; it had taken a lot of restraint to keep him from smacking Ten Ten on the back of the head, several times during the walk here.

She'd really gone a little overboard. Naruto looked miserable. He hadn't meant to upset anyone. Naruto just had a little problem with sudden changes, and keeping his thoughts to himself, and…._Oh stop it, your obsessing again! _Shika jerked himself back to the moment.

There were plenty of things to do inside the village itself, but they had decided to start their day at the festival grounds. He took one look at all the booths, the long list of activities and performances and wished he'd stayed home. _This is going to be exhausting._

On cue, Ino started pulling him by his right arm in one direction and Sakura started tugging on the other one, insisting that they should go that way. _Oh great, I get to be referee all day! No matter what I decide, someone gets to be pissed. Just the way they both like it!_

Kiba rescued him in his usual, tactful way. "Get the heck off him!" he bellowed. "Jeez, you too are worse than puppies fighting over scraps." Kiba pushed Sakura aside and wrapped his arm around Shikamaru's shoulder, shooing Ino away with his free hand. Shino was standing off to the side, holding Akamaru's leash a little nervously. The mammoth dog was still pretty sulky about the leash thing.

"Now, if your done behaving like witches," stunned silence followed "Maybe we could let the birthday boy decide what he wants to do. And if you don't wanna do it, you can kiss off." The smile he flashed them contained way too many sharp teeth.

"Oh, and for the record, Akamaru is a little pissy today, so I wouldn't be going off too much around him, 'less you wanna lose a limb or something. It took a lot to keep him from going at Ten Ten earlier and well, I just don't feel like messing with it again, 'K?" With that, he patted Shika on the back and stepped over to rescue Shino from leash duty. Neji, Shikamaru noticed, had moved a little closer to Ten Ten.

Sometimes you just had to love Kiba. Who else could string that many insults and cuss words together at once and do it with a smile. At least that's what Naruto thought it was supposed to have been.

After the way Ten Ten had unloaded on him earlier and the comments from Sakura and Ino the rest of the way, he got a great deal of satisfaction from the stunned expressions on all three girls' faces. He would have felt a little bad that Hinata had had to witness it, but he was sure he had caught a hint of a smile, just now, before she had ducked her head and hid her mouth behind her hand.

They started with the activities first. Shika had thought that this might help settle Akamaru and the girls a bit. Let them get some of their aggression out. Then they moved on to the performances. They saw fire jugglers, dancers, feats of strength and skill, and all manner of other performers.

Kiba had particularly enjoyed the dancers. They'd watched two different troupes perform. The other boy had leered and all but drooled through both. Shika kinda' felt like he owed him that.

It was a relief when they all decided to wander the booths at the festival and then make their way into the village to see what else there was. Shika wasn't the center of attention anymore. In the competitions, at the performances, even while they'd eaten lunch; everyone had been watching him closely trying to gauge if he was enjoying his birthday.

Just that fact had worn him out. As they looked at the different items on display and for sale, meandering through the booths; their attention was focused elsewhere. He could finally relax, a little.

He glanced at a few things, not really interested. His eyes kept traveling to the one thing he wanted, but couldn't have. Why did Naruto have to look so good today? Shikamaru had prepared himself for the usual Naruto. He'd even imagined that Naruto would look a little better in something other than his chuunin uniform or the orange training suit. This Naruto had been totally unexpected.

Who could have imagined it? He surely hadn't, even with all the fantasies that had been running riot in his head lately. _No, no. _he thought, _can't start thinking 'bout that!_ Shika stopped himself; before he could begin thinking about the real reason he had started 'helping' his mom with the laundry by putting a load in the washer as soon as he got up, each morning.

Shikamaru shivered a little and was grateful that the air had grown chill enough to require most of them to move their jackets from where they had been tied around their waists all day. Neither Kiba nor Naruto seemed affected. Naruto had the sleeves of that heavenly shirt pushed up to his elbows, showing of his well muscled forearms. Shika ducked back into that hood of his and tried to keep his mind clear of….disturbing thoughts.

It had been a real shock for Naruto, when Shika had finally taken the hood off to compete in one of the races, that morning. Naruto had run in the previous heat, so he had had a front row view of the starting line.

_Oh, my gods! _he'd thought to himself. Who knew Shikamaru was that pretty?! _Well, maybe pretty isn't the right word, but handsome doesn't cut it either._ Having his hair down, just sort of pointed out all of the good features of Shika's face. His deep soulful eyes and….. _Did I just think the word, soulful? Weird._

Naruto had never seen Shika with his hair down. He really didn't think anyone had. Naruto wanted nothing more in that moment than to run his fingers through the silky charcoal that flowed around Shika's face. _It's so long! _

He'd never really thought about how long Shika's hair would have to be, to be pulled up like it always was. He'd never really thought about Shika's hair at all. Now, he couldn't help it, he'd released a little remorseful sigh, when Shika had put his jacket on again in the early evening and promptly covered his whole head with the hood.

Of course without that distraction, Naruto's eyes began traveling in other areas, instead of being focused above the neck. He'd been fighting with himself for more than a week, now. He knew he shouldn't be looking at or thinking about his friend in the way he was, but he was tired of this internal struggle and indulged himself.

_As long as I only look, what's the harm, right?_ If Naruto could have seen his own face at that moment, he would have sworn he was looking at one of Pervy Sage's pervy smiles; but he couldn't and thank goodness, no one else seemed to notice either.

Shika hesitated at one of the booths. Naruto watched him out of the corner of his eye. Shika hadn't really paid attention to any of the things they'd seen. The girls already had tons of bags hanging from each arm. Poor Chouji had somehow been wrangled into helping Hinata and Ten Ten carry theirs. Ino and Sakura had headed for Shika with similar intent, but Kiba's warning chuckle stopped them. The guy could even make a chuckle sound threatening.

They'd turned toward Naruto, but must have remembered how they'd treated him on the way to the village and realized that there was just no way. That left Kiba, _Ha!_ Shino, _Too funny... _or Neji. Naruto watched the wheels in their heads turn and knew the exact moment that they gave up all hope of help with their packages. He couldn't hold in the snicker. _Serves ya right!_

Naruto had mentally marked the spot on the table that Shika had been looking at and after a few moments moved to the table. Shika was still two booths ahead of him. The distance Naruto had been maintaining this whole time, watching him just for the sake of watching him. Not stalking him or anything, oh no, not that.

On the table, Naruto saw two pairs of silver hoop earrings, very similar in design. One pair had leafs etched in a winding pattern around each little hoop. The other was slightly darker in color with an antique look and had embossed leafs winding around each slightly larger hoop.

Maybe Shika's only real vanity was his earrings. He didn't care about clothes or his hair, but he never went anywhere without his earrings. Naruto had never noticed; did he have more than just the three he always wore? Were they different somehow?

Naruto had already bought Shika a birthday present weeks ago, before everything had changed. He had thought about getting him something else, but had talked himself out of it. He had been afraid that it would just change things more.

But now, for whatever reason, he felt that what he had didn't seem appropriate anymore. He waited until the others had moved off a little further and made his purchases. The woman offered to gift wrap them, so he waited.

When he caught up to the others he found out that they had decided to split up. Sakura informed him that Ten Ten, Hinata, Chouji, and Shikamaru had gone in a different direction. "We had to wait for you. Don't wander off like that again." As she turned away from him, he wondered if her nose could possibly get any higher in the air.

He was a little down about being separated from Shika, but whenever one of his hands touched one of the small packages in either pants pocket he felt infinitely better. He couldn't wait to find a way to give them to him.

He wanted to watch as Shikamaru put them on. A warm glow spread through him and his mind wandered as he followed his bossy friend's head through the crowd. _I wonder what it would be like, if they were __all__ he was wearing……..Oh man, that's so bad! I'm a perv. Who knew?!_


	4. Chapter 4

From the Abstract to the Practical

Chapter = Apologies and Innuendos

Naruto stepped into the small circle of light made by the setting sun and an old lamp on a post at the back of the ledge. He seemed wary, nervous. Shikamaru watched him for few moments, until Naruto's eyes distinguished between the shadow of the rock wall and the darker shadow of his body. He moved calmly forward, stopping a few steps outside of the shadow and waited for Naruto to speak first. 

"Hey, Shika." The vision of masculine beauty before him spoke, very self consciously. 

"Hey, Naruto." Shika was amazed at how calm he sounded. He was actually wondering which would be more painful, this confrontation or the fall down the side of the cliff. 

Naruto's head dropped and he raked his fingers through his hair. "I need to talk to you. Got a minute?" He didn't know how to begin. 

"Sure, what would you like to talk about?" Shika was running on autopilot, so it took him a minute to realize what he'd just said. _What the heck did I say that for? Gods, I'm a moron!_

"Well, I thought we could talk about…..um….well, us." Naruto took a big breath indicative of one of his rambling sprees and prepared to launch himself into just that. 

Shikamaru cut him off. "You mean what I did to you." he sighed. He couldn't look at Naruto anymore, couldn't keep the pain out of his face, so he turned towards the railing, braced his hands, and leaned heavily into it. His head hung between his slumped shoulders. 

To Naruto, he looked soo hurt. _It's my fault. I did this._ Naruto moved towards him slowly, not wanting to intrude on the moment too much. He hesitated, just outside Shika's normal comfort zone, unsure what to do next. 

Something in the pit of his stomach urged him forward and he invaded Shika's personal space. He stopped and leaned against the rail. His left shoulder was only inches from Shika's right one, their hands almost touching. "I'm sorry." 

Shikamaru was stunned. His head whipped up and around. Naruto's head was down, his chin almost touching his chest. He looked miserable and Shika's heart ached. "What did you say?" 

Naruto looked at him through his lashes. _Gods, could you be any more adorable?_

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the way I reacted. I was, well. I was startled. You know I don't handle things well when I'm startled." 

_How can he be apologizing to me? How can he think he did anything wrong?_ Shika hadn't prepared for this. It was another one of those unforeseen outcomes that seemed to surround Naruto. 

_Is that why I want him near me so much? Because I can't predict what he'll do next?_ Shika didn't have time to analyze that thought much. Naruto moved his head and turned the full force of those gorgeous blue eyes on him and he was momentarily washed away by them. 

"Listen, it's me. It's my fault. I shouldn't have done what I did. You can't know how much I regret it. What I'd do to take it back." Shika felt sick. He couldn't look at him anymore. He turned his head and looked down again. His eyes closed against the vertigo he was feeling. 

Naruto's reaction, as usual was unpredictable. "You regret it!" He hissed. "I came here to apologize for reacting badly and you tell me you regret it, you wish you hadn't made your feelings known!" He didn't believe it. 

He'd seen Shikamaru stealing glances at him all day. Not all of those glances had held regret. No, most of them had held something that made Naruto's stomach flip, down in the very depth of his stomach. "Darn it, look at me! Don't you dare hide behind your hair!" 

That last command held a lot of pain and Shika knew it wasn't all directed at him. When you lose a friend, it hurts. When you lose one because you didn't understand him, because he kept things from you, well that was somehow worse. 

Shika's head snapped up and he looked Naruto straight in the eyes. "I wasn't. I wouldn't. I just couldn't look at you anymore. It hurts too much." Naruto had to know that no matter what happened here. He wouldn't hide things from him. He wouldn't hurt him like that. Not knowing how much Naruto had already been hurt. 

The pain was as clear in Shika's eyes as he knew it was in his own, for different reasons. "I'm sorry Shika. I know that. It's just…I came here to tell you that I want to see where this can go. I……can't stop thinking about you. I…..oh please say something…..help me……..this is so…….difficult." Naruto didn't look away. He wanted to, but after yelling at Shika for turning away because it hurt, he couldn't let his pain make him do the same. 

"You can't be serious. I know you could forgive anyone almost anything, but come on. I held you there, just held you there, against your will…..and did…..well you and I know what I did. You can't be serious. Why would you want anything to do with someone like that?" Shame colored every word. It rode thick in the air around them. 

Naruto was stunned. He understood why Shika had done what he did, the way he had. Naruto knew himself and knew how he would have reacted had Shika tried more conventional means to communicate his feelings. Naruto would have laughed it off, or worse thought it was a huge joke and told everyone how twisted Shika's sense of humor was; or maybe something even worse than that. 

He moved his left hand over the top of Shika's right. "Wasn't it you who said that I'm about as subtle as a hammer to the head…..and the only subtlety I would understand would be a bigger hammer?" Naruto smiled, he'd meant it as a soft joke, but his smile faded when Shika's head dropped again. 

"Gods, I really am an jerk." It was a whisper, barely a breath from beneath the waterfall of charcoal. 

Naruto sighed heavily, resigned to push this forward. "O.K. You're not getting this. I'll just come out with it." Naruto braced himself and was as blunt as only he, or Kiba, could be. "I miss you, when you aren't around. I've been miserable ever since I started avoiding you. I think about you all the time, now. Not just having you around either. I want…well, I want you. And if you make me spell that out to you, I'm gonna get very embarrassed and then I'm prob'ly gonna get pissed." 

He moved his left hand from Shika's to run it through his own hair. It was a subconscious act borne of frustration. Shika hadn't moved. His head was still down. His shoulders were still slumped. Naruto noticed that he was shaking a little. 

"Naruto, if you're messing with me, I think I'd have to kill you." 

Not one of the responses Naruto had expected, but it held promise, so he went with it. "Hmm, 'messing with you'? See, here we're back to me having to spell stuff out for you." He chuckled, low and deep; memories from earlier in the night coloring the sound. "I am not going to draw you a picture Shika, so wake up." 

Shika's eyes were HUGE, when he whipped around to face him. Naruto quickly memorized the image. Shika was very cute when shocked. Naruto made a mental note to make sure he got to see that look often. 

"What's the matter? The strategic genius looks a little off balance." he teased. He knew he was smirking and leering at the same time and he really didn't care. 

Naruto just stood there smirking at him. He seemed so full of himself. The self satisfied smile only seemed to deepen as Shika stood there staring at him in disbelief. 

_What the...!_ It really was too much to be borne. Shika's mind snapped into focus. _Fine, he wants to tease and throw out innuendo. We'll just see how far he wants to take this little game, before he chickens out._ The smile that spread across Shika's face was a perfect blend of erotic and malicious intent. 

Naruto wasn't even a foot from him. He took one step and leaned into Naruto. Their faces only inches apart. He could feel his breath ricocheting off of Naruto's mouth. Naruto shot back about three feet. It happened so fast that even Shika, who'd been sure he'd bolt before it got too far, was a little surprised. 

"What's the matter hot shot? Thought you were gonna draw me pictures." Shika couldn't resist a chuckle. His bluff had wiped that superior look right off of Naruto's face. If only he'd known what had really spooked Naruto. 

Shika had smiled at him in an alarming and exhilarating way and moved toward him. Their mouths were almost touching…….and the kyuubi seal, jumped. Well, sort of. Naruto wasn't sure what had just happened. 

Gods, he had been physically excited since the alley. Teasing Shika had only made it a little worse. But when Shika had smiled like that and almost kissed him; his excitement rose more than he'd thought possible. And that was when it had happened. 

Naruto took a second to analyze it. He'd felt the fox's chakra infuse the seal. If he didn't think about it too much, he'd almost believe the demon had been urging him on. _Too weird. Oh great, and now I have to deal with Him looking all pleased with the fact that I just jumped like scared mouse.! _

Naruto had a flash of brilliance in that moment. Maybe, it wouldn't be so bad to let Shika think that he was scared. Maybe, it might even work out so he could get what he'd been craving so much since the last time they'd been alone. _Hmm, I really don't think he'll see that coming. What could it hurt?_ Naruto asked himself._ Nothin'._ He answered. 


	5. Chapter 5

From the Abstract to the Practical

Chapter = Shadow Kisses: A Tongue War

"Shika, you know I don't know a lot about this stuff. I was just teasin' ya'." The smile that bloomed on Shika's face made Naruto a little angry. If only Shika knew that Naruto had had a little tutorial earlier…… 

Naruto kept his quarry from seeing his reaction, by ducking his head a little and looking at Shika through his lashes. "I have a favor to ask." 

Shika looked intrigued. _Good._ "Could you help me with something?" Naruto was hedging intentionally. The anticipation was a little too much to bear. 

"What?" Shika's body had relaxed a bit, lulled into a false sense of control. Naruto stifled a chuckle. 

"Would you….use the jutsu again? You know, to show me how to…..kiss?" Naruto was having a really difficult time keeping a straight, innocent looking face. Oh, this was just too priceless! 

Shika looked like a landed fish, which is really what he was, shocked and gasping for air. He'd just fallen for Naruto's little trap; hook, line, and sinker. Naruto was feeling very, very proud of himself, just now. 

"Please Shika….I really want you to." _Good gods!_ Those blue eyes pulled at him through long, thick, dark-blond lashes and he wondered if he would ever be able to refuse Naruto anything ever again. 

Shika swallowed his shock and fear. There would be time to analyze that later. Naruto stood in front of him, asking him to kiss him, their first kiss. It wouldn't be exactly as he'd imagined or hoped. 

He hadn't ever dreamed of using the shadow possession on Naruto like this again. He certainly hadn't dreamed Naruto would ask him to. 

Shika closed the distance between them. "Look at me, Naruto." The blond raised his head obediently. "You're sure about this?" Naruto nodded, his eyes didn't waver. His breathing was rapid and shallow. Fear or excitement, Shika wasn't sure. He really hoped it was the later. "Ok," he breathed. 

Shika initiated the jutsu. He raised his left hand to Naruto's face. Naruto's left hand touched his own cheek. This would take a little careful maneuvering. Shika tilted his head to the right, into Naruto's hand. Naruto's cheek was cradled in his own. He moved his head towards his desire painfully slowly and carefully. Trying to gauge the distance both would cover with each movement. It all had to be just right. 

He watched Naruto intently, ready to break this off at the slightest hint of fear from his 'friend'. Naruto's breath quickened, but his eyes were intent. Their lips were almost touching. Shika wanted to lick Naruto's plump bottom lip, but knew if he tried, Naruto's tongue would meet his instead. He didn't want to move that quick, yet. It was soo frustrating. It was soo hard to concentrate, because…..well…..he was soo hard. 

Naruto was oblivious to the practical difficulties Shika had to compensate for by using the jutsu like this. He was astonished by the sensations spreading through him from the anticipation alone. 

Shika's thumb caressed his cheek. He let out a little groan in response. His own thumb was caressing Shika's cheek. The urge to do more, to move at a faster pace began to surge through him. He was helpless to act upon it. He just had to wait. Naruto hated waiting. 

Shika brushed his mouth against Naruto's lightly and slowly. Naruto mouth mimicked his movements and it was Shika's turn to groan. He'd wanted their first kiss to be slow, wonderful, but the restrictions of movement and position placed on him by the jutsu, made this process infuriatingly slow! 

He opened his mouth and slipped his tongue past his own lips, making sure to graze his upper lip. Naruto moaned at the sensations of his own tongue grazing his own lip. Shika would have smiled, but it didn't seem appropriate, considering their situation. His tongue met Naruto's in the small space of open air between their mouths. Shika's knees buckled momentarily and he reached out to Naruto for support with his right arm. Naruto, of course mimicked him, resulting in their arms encircling each others waists and clutching the other tightly. 

Shika intertwined their tongues in an intricate dance, making sure to never approach Naruto's head on. That wouldn't have worked very well. He was amazed that he could concentrate this well right now. His whole body was shaking with the effort, while Naruto's moans and mild convulsions weren't helping his concentration. 

When his tongue finally invaded Naruto's warm wet mouth and Naruto slid into his, he really thought he would die from the tumult of sensations. 

Shika had no idea how long they had been kissing. He was sure he'd almost passed out once. It had to have been awhile. His chakra wasn't low, but he could tell that he had expended a good deal of it. 

Tired of not being able to explore this warm wet territory the way he wanted to, without the restrictions of the jutsu, he released it. _Now_, he thought, as he slid his hand from the cheek to the back of the neck and up into silky golden hair. _This is much better._

Naruto felt Shika release control of his body. He certainly hadn't released control of Naruto's mouth. Shika's hand was curled in his hair, not exactly holding their mouths together. The blond hadn't even imagined you could do such things with your tongue. _Wonder what else….; _the thought flittered away with the butterflies dancing in his stomach. 

He didn't respond to his new freedom right away. He took a moment to enjoy all the wonderful things Shika was doing. Shika seemed determined to memorize every centimeter of Naruto's mouth and tongue with his own. Naruto had wanted that first kiss to be one hundred percent Shikamaru. He'd wanted to know what it was like to have Nara Shikamaru's undivided attention and he knew that if he had been free to move, it would have gone very differently. 

Tentatively, not wanting to startle his…just what were they now…, Naruto began sliding his tongue against Shikamaru's strong, eager one. Shika moaned deliciously. Naruto was encouraged by the sound and threw himself into the ensuing kiss, with vigor only Naruto could display. He ran rampant for some time. 

_Oh gods!_ Shika had one moment of semi-coherent thought. _It's too much….we're only k...k...…kissss...ooohhhhh…._ He lost the thought as he tightened his grip and for a moment almost ground their mouths closer together. With a lot more force than he'd meant, he yanked Naruto's head back. Tears of pain bloomed in the blue eyes as Naruto let out a strangled shriek. 

The look of pain was quickly replaced by one of hunger. "Oh, Shika." 

_What the heck….. _He stiffened his arm and stood there with a fist full of blond hair, trying to catch his breath. Naruto was leaning toward him, leaving him no choice but to maintain the tension on Naruto's hair. "Gods…..that was….." 

Naruto finished his sentence, "intense" he said in a breathy whisper. Shika nodded, noting that he was breathing a lot heavier than Naruto. The smile he got in return was totally predatory. Then, Naruto moved too quickly for him. He hadn't been expecting it. 

Naruto knew what he wanted, without understanding it. The hated distance had to be closed. He grabbed the hand holding his hair, trapping it to his scalp, braced his upper arm over Shika's outstretched forearm, twisted his upper body away from Shika, and forced Shika's forearm down and towards his body. As Shika lost his balance, Naruto let go of him and stepped back and around to face his 'opponent'. He caught Shika in his arms as he stepped forward and pulled him flush against his own eager body. 

Not giving Shika a moment to recover, he captured his prize - that warm wonderful mouth. He immediately set about exploring it and savoring all the wonderful sensations this produced in every nerve. Shika moaned almost continuously, almost pitifully. Naruto felt no pity and actually chuckled into his victim's mouth. 

The insistent tongue moved eagerly, almost viciously. A strong hand was fisted in his dark, damp hair. Another was kneading the muscles of Shika's back, holding him tightly against the muscular body. He was drowning in sensations. He could smell Naruto's earthy flesh. _Clouds….. just before……rain……_

Naruto broke the kiss. Shika couldn't have. His strength was gone, devoured by this fiend holding him. "You taste wonderful." Naruto rasped, in child like wonder, as he nipped at Shika's sensitized lower lip. 

A wave of convulsions tore through Shika's lower abdomen at this admission. He rocked involuntarily against Naruto. They gasped in unison as their strong bodies slid against each other. "I can't take any more!" Shika growled. "You have to STOP!" 

Naruto chuckled against his ear, "Why?" 

"I don't want it to be like THIS!" Anger and frustration apparent in his voice, "Not the first time." He ended, almost pleading. Shika could have screamed or cried; it was all so frustrating. He was just too much! _What had made me think I could hold my own against __him__? He's just, soo intense all the time…and now….. I am soo screwed._

Naruto leaned back to face him. Blue eyes regarded him thoughtfully. "O.K., Shika." He agreed and grinned a little guiltily. "Whatever you want." 


	6. Chapter 6

From the Abstract to the Practical

Chapter = Rules, Interruptions, and Thugs 

Shika's body relaxed visibly. He put his hand on the back of Naruto's neck as he pressed their foreheads together. He sighed heavily. "Maybe we need a few ground rules." 

"Rules?!" Naruto did not like the sound of that. "What rules?" The wholly suspicious look on his face made Shika laugh. Naruto decided that he liked Shika's laugh. 

"Like, not pushing me so far that I end up losing it in a public place. That sounds like a good place to start." he said as he gently kissed the tip of Naruto's nose. 

Naruto moved their mouths together and gave Shika an equally tender kiss. He had agreed to nothing, but Shika seemed satisfied, so he'd just leave it that way for now. 

Shikamaru may not have been one of those ninja who had experience in sensing other people by chakras; but with the help of the kyuubi, Naruto was. With a heavy sigh, he released Shika's mouth. "Someone's coming. I think it's one of us. Plenty of chakra." 

"You can sense that? How?" Shika was impressed and Naruto was pleased. 

He blushed, a little. Before he could answer, Shikamaru continued. "Can you tell who? How far away?" They were tactical questions, almost automatic for him. 

"I'm a little raw right now." He did blush. "The fox's senses kinda come up, when I'm, well, distracted and stuff." He almost stammered and cursed himself for it. 

"I think it's Shino, but I'm not sure. He's near the last turn in the trail, just before you can see this spot. Something feels funny." Naruto didn't like it, whatever it was. 

Shika smiled almost apologetically. "We may want to keep this between us for now." He watched Naruto closely, "The others might not react well. I don't want their reaction to mess this up….between us I mean." 

Naruto wanted to ask what 'this' was, but knew that there wasn't time. He nodded in answer. He began straightening his rumpled shirt and hair as best he could. Shika mirrored him. Naruto couldn't help feeling a little hurt, a little slighted. Just what was it they were doing? What did 'this' mean to Shika, or him for that matter? 

Naruto sighed heavily. He was looking down at his hands. It made Shikamaru feel sick. 

They were casually talking about the festival, when Shino came into earshot. A moment later he could see his two friends. Shikamaru was leaning against the railing facing Naruto who was standing relaxed, in the middle of a pool of light from a small lamp. 

It was reassuring to Shino that he had guessed their location correctly, although, he had only expected to find one or the other; not both. It was very good that he had. _Good, Shikamaru will have a worthy solution._

Naruto looked up, but not at Shino. He was looking past him. _He knows that they're there!_ Shino knew that Naruto had only increased in strength, but he hadn't expected that kind of sensitivity from him. He cataloged that info for later examination. 

"We have company." He and Naruto whispered in unison. 

Shikamaru understood the situation, without knowing all the details. They were trapped in a dead end. It was obvious that the other two were nervous about this 'company'. Naruto's instincts were a real asset in times like this. Shika had been on enough missions with the other chuunin to know that if Naruto sensed danger, it was there. 

Lady Tsunade didn't want them to draw any undo attention to themselves, which was why Shino had continued down the path towards them, like a normal person would. He couldn't take on whoever it was and if he'd moved ahead to warn them too quickly, it might have been noticed. "How much time?" he asked Naruto. 

"Two," was all the blond said. Two minutes. 

Shikamaru could hear them now. They had been trying to be quiet before, but now they were feeling cocky. Earlier Shika had noticed a side path that led up the steep embankment only approximately six feet from where the light started. 

Whoever they were, they knew this place well enough to know of it and now that they were passed it, they felt confident that their quarry was trapped. He removed his jacket to improve his mobility; he shivered a little at the cold evening air. The sun had set while he and Naruto….had been……. 

He turned his head to face the path. Shino and Naruto stayed where they were. Shino's back was still to the path. Shika didn't like the feeling he was getting in the pit of his stomach. 

"Oh, ho! It's a three for one special!" A large young man with dirty blond hair laughed as he stepped into the light. His smile was anything, but friendly. Eight other men of varying size stood behind him. It was apparent that they were all teenagers or men who had just passed their teens. 

"Look, it's the pretty one from earlier." A tall, lanky boy of about sixteen pointed at Shikamaru. "I like his hair." 

The tone of the situation had just changed rapidly. Shika began to re-evaluate everything. 

"I want to see what this one's hiding behind those glasses. I want to see the look in his eyes……." Naruto wasn't sure which one in the group had said that. 

"Didn't your momma ever tell you not to pick on guys with glasses?" Another boy called out. 

"Yep, but what does that witch know. I promise; he'll like it before I'm done." The chuckle and ensuing laughter from the individual and then the group made Naruto feel cold all over. He was looking at Shino, trying to gauge how he was taking this. 

Shika hadn't moved. He was still leaning casually against the railing. Naruto tried to mimic his nonchalance. He didn't think he was doing it well. Shino just stood there impassive; his back still turned toward their would-be assailants. 

One of the older boys leaned towards the man who'd spoken first, "Which one do you want first?" he asked the obvious leader of this rabble. 

"I like the blond one. I like the way he moves. Yeah, I liked watching him earlier. Thought we'd missed our chance at him, he was movin' pretty quick." 

"But, I can watch him move, later. He doesn't look that hard to break." He disregarded Naruto and started evaluating Shino and Shikamaru more carefully. Trying to determine who would be the greater challenge. 

_If you touch him, either of them, I will kill you._ The thought was spoken in three separate minds, not worded exactly the same, but the sentiment was definitely there. 

Shika moved now. He cocked his head to the side and regarded the group with amusement. "Huh, what do we have here? A handful of would be rapists…." He showered every word with arrogance and derision. 

When Shikamaru began to speak, Naruto felt a hand on his back. He didn't turn. The hand tugged once on his shirt and retreated. The group turned their full attention to Shika; they weren't trained fighters after all and were easily distracted. Naruto took a few steps backward, into the shadows at the edge of the lamplight. 

"Kiba," Neji breathed at his back and was gone. Naruto tried to focus on the different chakra's around him to locate Neji, but was unable to. Neji could mask his chakra better than most Jounin. While looking for Neji, Naruto sensed another person with a large amount of chakra. That person was coming down the path towards them. _That's what Neji meant. Kiba's coming and Neji's here too, but where?_ Naruto hoped that Neji had a plan. He couldn't see that Shikamaru had one yet. 

"Wadda' ya' mean 'would be'?" The leader/alpha male asked, leering. Shikamaru was starting to regard them as a large pack, with pack mentality. _Show weakness and you get taken down even faster. If an outsider challenges the leader too much/too quickly, they could all attack. Gotta' do this just right._

Shikamaru stood up with exaggerated nonchalance. He stretched lazily. His toned torso peeked out from under the hem of his shirt, the muscles in his arms more defined by the movement. Shika looked for all the world like a large cat who'd been woken from a nap by a herd of mice. 

The look in his eyes when he turned back toward the hooligans said that he felt as much. He jerked his head, indicating that Naruto should come to him. He stepped in front of Shino, even as Naruto came within arms length. 

Shika held his arm up indicating with his eyes that Naruto was to step under the arm. Naruto obeyed, but regarded him warily, not understanding what purpose this served. Shika draped his arm across Naruto's shoulders in a declaration of ownership and smirked at the other men. Naruto couldn't help it; a deep blush stained his cheeks. 

"Shino," Shika said the name as if it were a command. He started to lift his left arm. Shino only hesitated a second. He didn't understand the plan, but could see that Shikamaru was up to something with this. He turned and stepped under the proffered arm. Shika leaned forward and leered at his challenger, Alpha Male to Alpha Male. 

He saw the shift. He saw the moment when this group began to see them as something other than prey, something more like themselves. Wariness replaced eagerness. They were all still game, but would move more slowly and carefully. 


	7. Chapter 7

From the Abstract to the Practical

Chapter = Pets, Threats, and Misunderstandings 

"Hey! What the heck is going on?! And why the heck wasn't I invited to the party?!" Kiba's voice exploded from out of the dark like a thunder clap. He'd seen enough to guess at Shikamaru's plan. Of all of them, he had the best understanding of pack mentality and alpha male behavior. 

"Never fails. When there's a party, you always find it." Shika drawled. "Where's the other one." It wasn't really a question. It sounded more like a reproof. 

"Didn't know it was my day to watch your pet. If I had, I'd a taken a few more liberties." Kiba was beginning to enjoy this game. _Neji is gonna be too pissed!_

"Liberties?" Shika quirked a disapproving eyebrow. 

Kiba played his part. Second male, not exactly challenging, not exactly submissive. "Everyone knows how, um, generous you can be when it comes to someone watching over your pretty pet." 

"If you've lost Neji. I'm gonna have to hurt you." Neji got the hint then. Shika wanted him out of the shadows. He had a role for him in all this. _Wonderful! I get to be his blessed pet!_ Neji wasn't normally one to swear, but this was an occasion that called for it. 

Neji forced his sigh to sound petulant and stepped out of the shadows, up to Kiba's right elbow. He looked Shikamaru straight in the eye, across the heads of their would be assailants. The path inclined as it led away from the ledge, so even Kiba could clearly see their three friends across the other group. 

Neji was the prettiest of them. His classic good looks and poise really did lend him to the part of someone who might need a little looking after, in these terms anyway. Neji's hair flowed from the deep blue headband, down his back, and spilled over his shoulders like an ebony waterfall. That; combined with his cool, creamy skin and the opaque eyes did make him look a little feminine. 

Out of all the guys in their group, he was dressed the most conservatively. He wore a pair of plain light blue jeans and a simple light grey shirt that really made his eyes stand out. Shika had to hand it to Kiba for helping make this a little more believable, although to him, this was nuts. 

Shikamaru did have a good reason for wanting Neji down in the thick of things. Neji was the best close fighter in the group. He could easily handle most or all of these guys by himself. 

_And, the wounds he'd inflict wouldn't be recognizable as ninja attacks to a civilian doctor._ Whereas, if Neji had stayed hidden, the only real attacks available to him were weapon attacks and those would be a lot easier for a regular doctor to pin point. Shika was a little worried about his acting skills though. 

"Why did you stick me with him?" Neji whined appropriately and then had to clench his fists to keep from hitting Kiba hard enough to knock him unconscious. The 'pet' thing had been Kiba's doing. Kiba grinned at him challengingly. _The next time you ask me to spar with you, I will._ Neji was already looking forward to it. 

"And just where did you wander off to?" Shika looked positively evil as he raised his eyebrow questioningly. _If you are enjoying this…._Neji didn't finish the thought. _No even if he was and I don't think he is. I wouldn't do anything __that cruel_ Kiba put his hand on Neji's shoulder and spoke, causing Neji to amend the thought. _Except maybe to Kiba_. 

"You know how the new ones are. They don't quite understand the rules yet." Kiba's hand slid down Neji's back suggestively and Neji squeaked. "If your busy……I could help this one get….a better understanding….." 

Kiba turned his head so that he could grin at both Shikamaru and Neji. _Oh, man. I am soo dead._ He actually giggled in his head. This really was fun. There might even be some blood shed. And, he'd heard Neji squeak. Neji Hyuuga had squeaked! _There is no way he is ever gonna live this down!_

The Alpha Male looked at Shikamaru with new found respect and a little curiosity. "Just where the heck are you guys from?" 

"Like it matters." Shika drawled. "I'm getting bored. So, how exactly do you want to play this thing?" 

Naruto was getting very wound up. He tried to hold it back, but had to do something. Just standing here was killing him. His hands found his pockets and the packages inside. He toyed with the intricate knots tied in the red cord around each package. 

The saleswoman had taken a lot of time to tie the thin red braided cord in intricate designs around each box. Naruto had watched in fascination. Now, he untied each knot one handed in the depths of his pockets. It was soothing to have something to concentrate on. 

"Huh, we don't plan on leaving without a little fun; but seeing that you are, what you are, maybe we could work out a trade." 

"A trade?" Shikamaru wanted to vomit. There was no way these guys were getting anything from them. He'd hoped to avoid any trouble, but that hope seemed lost. He straightened, removed his arms from his friend's shoulders and took a step forward. "Naw. I don't think so. Maybe, if you'd asked nice first, but ya' didn't." He cocked his head to the side a little and smiled an amused smile. "No, you just thought you could walk in my house and take things. I don't think I can let that go." 

"Naruto." The blond stepped obediently to Shika's side. "You know how I never let you have any fun anymore?" Naruto nodded, not sure what else to do. "Well, you pick any three you want. Any three you want to watch scream. Call it an early birthday gift." 

His eyes about bulged out of his head. "Wha-what?" He stammered. 

"It's o.k. We're not home and I doubt if the moron cops here could ever link it back to….well, what happened. You just tell me which three." Naruto's flushed face was perfect. Those dolts would think it was eagerness, not shock. Shikamaru watched as Naruto turned more towards the group, supposedly picking his presents. 

"What about me?" Neji really did sound petulant. 

"He was my pet long before you. Wait your turn." Shika admonished. "Kiba, you got a preference?" 

"You know me. I like um big and dumb." Shika had to smile at that. "If you don't mind. I'll take the big one whose been doing all the talking." 

"No." Naruto and Shino said together. Shino stepped up to Shika's other shoulder. 

"He's one of the three I get to have. Shino, do you want to play with me, like old times?" Naruto said with deadly sweetness. Naruto had taken his hands out of his pockets. There was a length of red cord wrapped around each fist. _Where did he get that from?_ Shika wondered. 

The big guy looked a little concerned when Naruto spoke. Then he saw the red cord and freaked. Shikamaru didn't know what it was about the cord, but it had pushed this guy over the edge. 

"Look, man. You seem to run a tight crew. I like your style. We really shouldn't be doing this. Not when there's soo much easier prey wandering the festival. If I'd known what you were, we could'a hunted together, ya know?! Anyway, we'll just let you guys get on with…..whatever, and we'll head back to town." The big guy turned to leave. He'd forgotten about Kiba and Neji, but decided that his guys could take the second in command and the 'pet', if they had to, so he kept moving towards them. 

Then this enormous white dog jumped out of nowhere and blocked the escape. "Whoa!! What the heck?!" The whole group was really shaken now. 

Shika caught up to him then. _Have to seal this._ He caught the beaten Alpha Male's arms behind his back and forced him forward until his head was level with Shika's. He leaned in and hissed in the taller man's ear, "If you'da asked nice. I might have taught you a thing or two. But, now; if you value your life….you won't ever mess with me or mine again. I won't hesitate to kill you….slowly." _And that should do the trick. I can't wait to get home and put in a report about this village. Tourist destination, my butt! Rapist's paradise is more like it!_

"Kiba, make Akamaru let them go. I am soo bored with this." Shika gathered up Shino and Naruto, one under each arm. "There are soo many better things for us to be doing." 

Kiba grunted and Akamaru moved out of the way. A much less confident group moved quickly up the trail than the one that had followed Shino down it. 

When they were certain the bastards were gone, Shikamaru let Shino and Naruto go, with a very sincere apology. He knew that Shino wasn't big on physical contact. Neji hit Kiba only a third as hard as he wanted to. "Pet?!" he hissed as he kicked the downed Kiba in the ribs once, just for good measure. 

Kiba was laughing the whole time. Tears streamed down his face and he couldn't form a coherent sentence. Shino intervened. Sparing his teammate from whatever torture Kiba was pushing Neji to. 

"Where are the girls?" Shika asked. 

"When we realized Naruto was missing, we also realized that you hadn't really made a commitment to go with either group, when we split up. It was obvious that Naruto had run into you, so we figured, if we found one, we might find the other." Shino summed it all up, succinctly. 

"Sakura and Ino are looking for the two of you in the village proper. We felt it was best for us to look outside the village, not them. Normal girls wouldn't be wandering around out here in the dark." He was still standing between Kiba and Neji. He was shushing Kiba and watching Neji warily. 

Shika sighed, in relief. He absently fingered one of his earrings. He did that sometimes, when he was stressed. "We have to find them. If the villains around here are brave enough to try to take on the five of us like this, those two could be in a lot of trouble. Thank gods; Chouji went with Ten Ten and Hinata. Still, we need to find everyone and head back to the resort. It's obvious; this place has a real dark side." 

"It's almost time for all of us to meet up at that little tea shop, anyway. By the time we get back to the village, they should all be headed there." Shino said as he indicated with his arm that Neji should start out ahead of him, even as he held Kiba back with the other arm. Neji rolled his eyes and started up the trail. Carefully watching for any possible signs of ambush. 

"Brilliant plan, as always Shikamaru." With that, Shino began pulling a still chuckling Kiba behind him. Akamaru trotted along, seeming very pleased with things. 

Shika glanced at Naruto, "Well, I suppose we should follow." He really wished they'd had more time to talk things out. Instead, they'd spent their time confusing things more. 

"What about Ino?" The whisper of breath slipped past his lips, before he even realized he'd spoken. "Is this just something…until you and Ino…..ugh!" Naruto struck his thighs with his fists in frustration. 

He was at the end of his emotional rope. He held the cords in this hands in a strangle hold. He didn't look at Shika, didn't want to see if he'd hit on something truthful. 

"Ino knows I don't want her. I told her months ago. We talked it all out." Naruto wasn't looking at him and they didn't have much time. The others were waiting and they had to find the girls. "Naruto, will you sneak out of your room tonight and meet me in the trees by that fountain? I really think we need to talk this out, soon." 

The blond surprised him; he threw himself at Shika, kissing him fiercely. "Happy Birthday, Shika." Then Naruto moved quickly up the path. _It's all I wanted for my birthday, so why do I feel so lousy? _Maybe, because he was sure he'd felt tears brush his cheek just as Naruto had fled. _This emotional stuff is a pain in the butt._

They made their way back to the tea shop with little trouble. Shino had suggested that they remain in character while moving through the crowds, just in case anyone was watching for a break in their 'performance'. Shikamaru and the others had agreed. 

Neji had been the least pleased. He was currently walking in front of a sauntering Shikamaru. He held a chain from Kiba's pants in his right hand. Shikamaru held the other end in his left. 

Kiba was walking on Shikamaru's right side, pretending to be talking to him seriously. Neji knew better. Even without the Byakugan, Neji could see Kiba smirking at him out of the corner of his eye. 

_Maybe, if I can convince them that I am no longer angry….maybe I can convince Shino to room with one of the others…..then I would have all night to exact my revenge….it would no longer be necessary to sneak in and kidnap the sarcastic little bastard._ Neji didn't think it was possible, but entertained himself with images of what he would do to Kiba, if he could get him alone. _I am not going to kill him. _He told any listening spirits. No, that would be far kinder than the things running through the young Hyuuga's mind at this point. 


	8. Chapter 8

From the Abstract to the Practical

Chapter = Roomies and Realizations 

They were the first to arrive at the little open air tea shop. They found a large table against the wall and waited. Naruto was starting to get a little concerned at the exact moment he heard it, the cacophony of noise that always preceded the two quarreling girls. _Well at least we know they're __o.k_

Ino and Sakura had somehow managed to double the amount of bags and packages that they'd each had when he'd left them. They looked exhausted. "Oi, Naruto, what's the big idea worrying us all like that?" **Bonk!**

"Yeah, I see you shopped your worries away!" Naruto said, glaring at Sakura, and rubbing the top of his head tenderly. "Jeez, did you guys buy everything in the whole village or what?!" 

Bad idea, this prompted Ino into a detailed account of their shopping spree. Every male at the table groaned loudly, including Akamaru. By the time she was winding down, Chouji stumbled to the table and collapsed in a mound of packages and bags. 

"Can't…take….anymore…….someone….please…….just kill me." He gasped. Hinata bent down to help him. Unfortunately, she'd forgotten that about half her skirt had been left on the tailor's floor. Neji catapulted across the table and forced her upright. He whispered something in her ear; she turned bright red, and nearly fainted. 

Ten Ten took her from Neji and tried to calm her down. _Poor Hinata, _Naruto thought. _She really doesn't want to turn around right now._ Over half the guys in the immediate vicinity were staring and openly drooling at her. Neji and Kiba were both glaring fiercely. 

Shikamaru was still fuming inside. _That uppity little witch! If she hits him again….I really am gonna do something about it!_ Sakura was oblivious to his animosity. She and Ino were arguing again. 

"We ran into a little excitement while looking for Naruto and Shikamaru." Shino interjected in a low whisper. The girls' heads snapped toward him. Ten Ten and Hinata looked very confused. They hadn't even known anyone had been 'missing'. Chouji was still slumped forward in a stupor. 

Shikamaru explained the situation to them, leaving out as many details as possible. He didn't really think they needed to know about the true intentions of that group or that it had originally been focused on Shino. He didn't mention exactly how they'd avoided an altercation. 

He just told them to go along with whatever he told them to do on the way back to the resort. He didn't need to worry about Chouji. His best friend trusted his judgment completely and would follow instruction without question. 

The trip to the resort went smoothly and soon they were all inside the bedroom that they'd put their bags in. Earlier, they'd been in a hurry to get started, so they had just chucked their things in the first room at the end of the hall and taken off. 

Room assignments were up to them. The only stipulation that Shikamaru's parents had made, was that the girls be in the rooms nearest theirs. And, of course, the girls were supposed to room with the girls and the guys were supposed to room with the guys. So, really there were two stipulations. 

The girls sleeping arrangements were settled easily. Ten Ten and Hinata would take the room next to Shika's parents and Ino and Sakura would take the room across from them. Neither, Sakura or Ino wanted to room with Ten Ten. The older girl had gotten a real edge to her over the last year. She was just a little scary. 

As the girls were leaving, Kiba opened his big mouth and hit on a sore spot. "Well, since Lee isn't here, at least it's an even number." He'd said as he leaned against the headboard of one of the beds. 

Kiba was very glad that there was no chance he'd be in a room alone, just him and Akamaru. He knew Neji was out to get him. He actually grinned. Y_ep, things sure won't be boring for awhile._

Sakura froze. Everyone knew why Lee hadn't come. He was finally starting to get tired of pining for Sakura. He'd jumped at the mission he'd been offered, the day before last. Sakura looked devastated by the comment. Ino glared at Kiba and led the other girl from the room. No one spoke again until after all four girls had left. Then Shino and Chouji each slammed a pillow into Kiba. 

"Moron!" Chouji huffed. Chouji was always so careful of the girls' feelings. _He has the best heart of us all._ Shikamaru wasn't the only one to think something like that just then. 

"Man I am beat!" Chouji stretched and smiled at Shikamaru. It was obvious how the room arrangements would go from here. Shino and Kiba were teammates, as were Shikamaru and Chouji. So, it was obvious that Naruto and Neji would be rooming together too. Shikamaru hadn't even considered it an option, but still couldn't stifle the disappointment as he tried to offer Chouji a friendly smile. 

"Chouji, I would really like to talk more about your family's use of chakra increasing substances. You didn't finish your explanation. You promised that you would." Neji's voice was smooth as silk. "If you are too tired….I understand, but if you are not; it might be best if we roomed together, so we do not keep the others up. I have some questions…." He let the thought trail off. 

Chouji's head whipped around to look at the older man. "I didn't think you were really interested. I thought you only made me promise to be polite." Neji shook his elegant head to indicate that Chouji had been wrong in his assumptions. "Wow, um, ok…that is, if it's alright with Shikamaru and Naruto." He turned to face each in his turn. "Do you guys mind rooming together tonight?" 

Neji met Shikamaru's eyes and Shika knew. _He knows. He did that on purpose, so we could be alone. _Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. _How long was he hiding in the dark at the ledge. Maybe, Shino __wasn't__ the first one to find us. _Nobody could mask their chakra like a talented Hyuuga. Neji inclined his head a fraction in answer. _Oh crud! There is no way I'm telling Naruto about this._

Shikamaru nodded to Chouji as Naruto did the same. Chouji didn't look tired anymore. Shika had to hand it to Neji. He'd stroked Chouji's ego perfectly. He'd be in for a full night's discussion. Shika smiled at the other boy in thanks. 

"Well, should we go pick a room and get settled?" Neji asked as he turned and picked up his things. "Good night everyone. Happy Birthday Shikamaru." The last was said with a secretive smile that no one saw. No one needed to, it was enough that he knew he'd helped his friends at a very delicate time. _At least someone is getting what they desire, what they need._

Chouji waved happily as he left the room, trailing behind Neji. They could hear him begin to explain the different chakra enhancements that his family employed, just as he cleared the doorway. He sounded ecstatic. As their voices grew fainter, they could hear Neji murmur a few questions, encouraging Chouji to continue. Neji would play the part of the polite attentive listener, careful of the other young man's feelings. Shikamaru didn't have to worry about that. 

Naruto could not believe that bit of luck. He'd heard the earlier conversation and would have sworn that Neji hadn't been interested at all. _Oh…this means, we'll be alone in here all night!_ He was thrilled and terrified all in one. To hide his emotions he began digging through his bag, as if he was looking for something. 

Shino stood up. "We should get going too." 

Kiba waved a negating hand at him. "Why, just 'cause those pansies can't hang?" Shino rolled his eyes behind his glasses. Sometimes, Kiba was a real moron. 

"Don't you think it might be a good idea if get settled in our room a little early?" He asked is dimwitted friend. 

"Why?" 

Shino shook his head. "So, we can set some traps before we are too tired." 

"Traps?! Why?" 

"So Neji doesn't sneak in and kidnap you, you moron!" That last came out as a loud hiss. 

"Oh!" Kiba jumped up, thanked Shino and wished the other two a good night as he headed out the door. The shout woke Akamaru, who stood slowly and shook himself. He cast a baleful eye on all three of them before trotting after Kiba. 

Naruto was laughing so hard he was holding his arms tight around his stomach. "Good luck, Shino." He chortled. 

"I should just let Hyuuga have him." Shino hissed again as he turned toward the door with both his and Kiba's things. 

Shikamaru stayed were he'd been, leaning against the small table, near the window. His arms were folded across his chest, in a leisurely manner. Naruto got up from his place on the floor under the window. He walked past Shikamaru without a word. Shika didn't look up until he'd past. He watched the blonds back as he walked to the door. 

Naruto could feel those dark eyes on his back as he shut and locked the door. He hesitated there for a moment, resting his forehead against the smooth wood. _What now?!_ He heard Shikamaru shift his weight from one foot to the other. _Stop being a pussy!_ He told himself sternly. 

He turned. He couldn't quite look at his roommate. He walked to the bed closest to the door and sat cross-legged on the end. "I guess we don't need to sneak out after all." He whispered. 

Naruto's head was down. Blond hair obscured his face. _Man, this is a lot of work. Why did I start all this mess, again? _An image of Naruto grinning at him gauntily appeared in Shika's mind. _Oh yeah, 'cause he's too cute._ That put a smile on his face and got him moving. 

He grabbed the back of a chair and set it in front of Naruto; he straddled it backwards and rested his arms on the back. His chin nestled comfortably on his arms, he grinned at the dejected blond in front of him. "Could you be any cuter? Have you ever tried?" Naruto looked up at him through his lashes in a confused, shy way. "There's my answer." Shika grinned wider. 

"Stop making fun of me. This is serious." Naruto whined a little. He looked very disgruntled when Shikamaru laughed out right. 

"Can you tell me what's serious about it?" 

Shikamaru's voice sounded belittling in Naruto's ears. It hurt, it cut straight through him. "What do you mean? Do you just go around randomly paralyzing guys in dressing rooms, kissing them? Is this some sick joke?" 

He could hear the pain in Naruto's voice and he bled a little inside, but he continued. "Really, what do you want to happen here? What do you want from me?" Shika asked a little too placidly. 

Naruto's head shot up. There were tears spilling over the lashes of those deep blue eyes. "Nothing, forget it. It never happened." He was seething inside. He wanted to punch the impassive face less than a foot from his. 

"Then, why the tears?" Shika met those stormy blue eyes with his cool dark ones. _I really am a bastard._

"Darn you." Naruto hissed. "Darn you, you bastard." He was careful to keep from yelling. Their room was separated from the others on this side of the hall by the women's shower room and the men's shower was across from them, so the chances of anyone hearing them were low. 

Naruto wasn't taking any chances. He was humiliated that he'd seen this as something it wasn't, regardless of all the signals Shika had given him to believe as he had. He didn't want anyone else to find out, so yelling and beating the crud out of Shikamaru really wasn't an option. 

"What is it Naruto? Why are you so upset?" His tone was soo mild, it was infuriating. 

"You wanna know?! Fine, I actually thought you were looking for more than a cheap thrill at kissing a dude! Stupid me! I thought our friendship meant more to you than that! I thought……." His voice dropped along with his head. "I thought that you'd never be the type to intentionally hurt anyone." 

"I've hurt you." It wasn't a question or a statement, it just was. He lifted Naruto's head with by placing a slender finger under his chin. "Now, maybe you're ready to listen to me." Suspicious eyes full of frustrated tears blinked at him. 

"I didn't tell you that we should keep it between us, because I'm ashamed. I know quite a few ninja who are great at their jobs, great guys, and totally gay." Naruto gawked. "Yes, I said 'gay'." He smiled softly at Naruto's shocked expression. _It's starting to sink in now._

"I would gladly let everyone know that you were mine. That is, if you even want to be. But, I don't think other people would react well, at least not at first. I don't want any added stress in this. We both need to figure out if this will even work for us, way before we start waving a flag that says 'look here, we're queer'." Naruto giggled at that and covered his mouth with his hand. "Now, is there anything you want to ask me? Anything is fair game. I want total honesty between us from now on." 

Naruto was still reeling. _Gay. Wow, how'd I skip over that little fact?! Knew I wanted him, but still didn't think of it as gay. It just felt normal, felt right. _He was still listening to Shika, but only halfway. His mind was processing a lot of different info. _O.k., _he admitted to himself with trepidation. _I'm gay._ He waited a minute, but got no reaction from himself. _Huh, that was easy._

The smile Naruto gave him was blinding. "I'm gay. We're gay." He made the statement sound like a revelation. 

"Um, yeah. We are." Shika said calmly, it was really difficult to keep from smiling in a condescending way. _Duh!_

"So, what happens now?" Naruto's eagerness was a little scary sometimes. 

"Well, that's what I was saying. It's kind of up to you. I need to know what you want from me. What you expect from this." 

Shikamaru's earlier questions came back to him. 'What do you want to happen here? What do you want from me?' 

"Oh…" His mouth formed the perfect little circle. _Yep, __way__ too cute for me. I'm screwed._ Shikamaru laughed in his head. He waited patiently, while Naruto thought it over. 

"Can I ask questions first?" _Only if you stop biting your lip, all sexy like __that__. Crud, this is going to be difficult._

"Yes." 

"Have you ever kissed, um, anyone before, um, me?" _Oh great, now he's blushing, again. I really need some help here! _Shika cried to any spirits that might be listening, praying for restraint. 

"No." 

"What? Not even Ino?!" 

"No." 

"Then how'd you know what to do, like you did?" Naruto was incredulous. He was so thrown by Shika's admission that he had jumped up onto his knees on the bed. He looked like a little kitten….._Stop that!_ Shika berated himself for impure thoughts of cute cuddly…._purring……Stop it!_

"I spend a lot of time working as a strategist for different teams and I spend a lot of time at the mission office, around a lot of older ninja. I hear a lot of things…." He looked Naruto straight in his perfectly flushed face. "My gift is figuring things out based on limited Intel, right?" he quirked an eyebrow meaningfully. Naruto blushed more. 

"Besides, a lot of it is just, instinct." He shrugged his shoulders and rested his head on his arms again. He looked soo handsome. Naruto giggled at that and put both arms behind his head. It was a subconscious movement. He'd done that as long as Shikamaru had known him. 

"So, have you ever wanted to kiss anyone else, before?" 

"No." 

"Oh, come on!" 

"The answer is 'No'. What about you?" Naruto's arms dropped at Shika's question. 

"I used to think that I wanted to kiss Sakura, but I really didn't. I just wanted her to see me. To recognize me, ya' know, like I was worth something. I confused wanting to be seen, for wanting something that I really didn't." 

"Yeah, I know. Everyone's always taken it for granted that Ino and I would be a couple. I never really thought about it too much. It seemed kind of inevitable." He sighed and laid his right cheek on his arms. "Then I started thinking about the practical side of, well the physical side of things and Ino just wasn't what I wanted." 

"When I figured it out all the way, I decided to tell her the truth. It just didn't seem fair for me to know and her not to. It was hard to do. She was like me, even though she's had her crushes, she always kind of thought of me as the one who would always be there for her." 

"How'd she take it, when you told her?" Naruto wondered, _Why do I feel guilty somehow?_

"She cried and didn't speak to me for a few weeks. She still thinks that there is some other girl. I didn't tell her everything. I couldn't. I couldn't hurt her that much all at once." 

He sighed again and moved so that his forehead rested on his arms. "You really don't know how bad she is about looks and attraction and stuff. Telling her that I found you more attractive than her, well, you can't even imagine it." 

"You were attracted to me then? Wait, when was this?" 

Shika raised his head and looked him dead in the eye. "It's been six almost seven months since I admitted it to myself. I told her almost five months ago." Naruto was floored. He just sat there opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, gasping for air. 

"That's why I need to know what you want, how you feel. I know, it's not fair, I've had months to think about it, but I need some kind of an answer. I need to know how to be around you from here on in." 

"You tell me what you want and how you feel. Let me think it over a little. Then I think I could answer your questions, you know…better." 

Shika sat up straighter and shook his head. "I don't want my answers to taint yours. Nothin' doin'." Naruto was head strong most of the time, but he had a kind heart. He liked to please other people. Shika couldn't stand it if he had to wonder what Naruto's true motives were. Naruto shot him a nasty look and he had to laugh a little. 

"Oh fine. Let's unpack some of our stuff, while I think, o.k.?!" It really wasn't a question. Naruto taking charge was an interesting sight. Shika had seen this side of him a few times tonight, but this was the most amusing. 


	9. Chapter 9

From the Abstract to the Practical

Chapter = Role Reversal and Gifts

They unpacked their necessities. Shika was just about to suggest they each take a shower to wash off the festival grime, when Naruto came up behind him, wrapped his arms around his waist and began kissing his neck. It was eerily familiar.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" The blond didn't answer right away. Goose flesh rose up all over Shikamaru's body. He endured the sweet torment until Naruto decided it was enough and moved his mouth to Shika's ear. "I almost forgot. I have a present for you." His breath on Shika's ear was wonderful torture.

Shika turned in his arms and draped his own over Naruto's shoulders. "Really." He arched a slender eyebrow, curious and a little afraid. He knew he couldn't let things go much farther, without some kind of understanding between them. He also knew that if Naruto brought the full power of his presence to bear, he would submit to it, easily.

Naruto guided him over to one of the beds and pushed down to sit on it. _I don't have the strength to fight this and I don't want to._ Naruto grinned like a fool and pulled a package from each pocket.

"That's the same cord you had wrapped around your hands earlier." Shika stared at the intricate knots tied in the cord around each package forming a geometric design.

"Oh, yeah, that. Well, I was getting worked up earlier and needed something to concentrate on, so I worked on untying the knots."

"This design? One handed and in your pockets?" It shouldn't have surprised him so much. They were ninja after all, but Shikamaru felt like he should have had some clue that Naruto's attention had been somewhere else.

"Ah, it wasn't that hard. I re-tied them the same way while we were at the tea shop." Shika was looking at him a little differently, it pleased him somehow. "Well are you gonna open them or what?"

_Three hundred and sixty degree turns at a hundred miles an hour. _Shika realized, _That's him, all the time. _It shouldn't have pleased him soo much, but he was grinning when he took the packages from Naruto's hands. He let his hands linger over Naruto's for a moment longer than necessary, enjoying the simple contact.

"Thanks, Naruto."

Naruto smiled a sweet smile and cried, "Oh, just open it already!"

Shika examined the packages, each in it's turn, trying to find a loose end in the knots. There weren't any visible. _This is really amazing knot work. _Naruto watched him carefully as he sat on the side of the other bed, facing Shika.

He watched as Shika's brows creased and got a little thrill from it. He knew the exact moment that Shika figured it out. If Naruto hadn't been watching carefully when the woman had initially tied the knots, he never would have figured it out.

Shika worked at the puzzle of the knots for a few minutes. It was nice. Just concentrating on something solid, it was a nice break after the last week, and especially today.

He took two unconnected strands and pulled on them a little. They slid easily through the knots closest to them. He knew that only two, maybe three of the strands would move like this. He continued to slide the cord through the knots, until he'd created a hole in the network large enough to slip the small box through. He set that box aside and began working on the other one.

Naruto was almost disappointed when Shikamaru didn't open the box right away. He waited, impatiently, while Shika worked the other box free of it's net. When both were free, Shika looked up at him expectantly.

"Any one you want me to open first?"

Naruto hadn't thought about it before, but he nodded now. "Yeah, the one that's a little bigger." His excitement was turning to nerves and his stomach was doing flips. He unconsciously bit his bottom lip a little. He saw a strange look pass across Shika's face, but it was soo quick and he was soo distracted that he couldn't really read it.

_If you don't stop biting that lip...I'm gonna join you!_ Shika reined himself in quickly and focused his attention on picking the larger box up off the coverlet, where he had set it earlier.

Naruto almost stopped him from opening the box. He was soo nervous. He was soo worried that somehow it was wrong. He couldn't, didn't move.

Shikamaru opened the lid of the box, removed the little piece of silk that lay at the top, and stared. In his hand was a box containing a beautiful pair of antiqued silver earrings.

He'd seen them before. He'd been debating on buying them for himself, but had convinced himself not to. _How did he know?_ "Naruto, were you watching me?" He didn't have to be more specific. He was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

Naruto sighed or huffed or both. "Hhh, only all day!" Then he blushed a lovely crimson. "There's another one." He didn't look Shika in the face. He just couldn't make himself.

Shikamaru set down the box he held carefully. He then picked up the smaller box just as carefully. He lifted the lid and the piece of silk beneath it. Inside was another pair of earrings, this one was a lighter silver and the earrings were slightly smaller than those in the first box.

Both pair had a leaf design on them. The smaller pair had leafs etched around the hoops and the larger had leafs embossed on them. They were perfect in every way.

"Naruto, you do realize that this isn't a gift a guy would normally buy for a friend. At least not a friend whose another guy?"

Naruto looked up at him then. "Yeah, I guess you're right. You do like them though, don't you?" He was a little thrown by Shika's analysis of it. It was true, though. He wasn't thinking about being nervous anymore. He was thinking about why he'd bought Shika the earrings. He was trying to see the truth behind his motives.

"I love them, Naruto." It was a whisper, so soft that it actually seemed to move through him. Naruto felt little tears form in his eyes. He had his answer. The answer to why he'd bought the earrings and the answer to Shika's questions, he knew what he wanted.

"I want you to wear them all the time. I know no one can know why, but I'll know and you'll know that you wear them for me. That you and I are together. That you are mine. And Shika, I **won't** share you, so don't even think about it."

There was a lot of Naruto like force behind that last sentence. Shika didn't look up right away. He didn't want to let go of the moment, the joy.

"Did you hear me or what?" Naruto was standing over him now with one hand on his hip and the other buried in his blond hair. He was glaring down at Shika, who decided the best, most practical response was a physical one.

Shikamaru carefully set both small boxes on the nightstand next to the bed. Then he grabbed Naruto around the waist, pulling him off balance and yanking Naruto down on top of him. Before Naruto could say another word, Shika distracted his mouth with a long sweet kiss.

"And how shall I brand you?" He asked his sweet blond, in a very sultry voice. Naruto gasped as Shika rolled him over on his side and began raining soft kisses along his neck all the way to his collarbone.

He really couldn't think of an answer. His body was reacting even more strongly to Shikamaru than ever before. He wanted, needed something. The kyuubi seal was sizzling deliciously in response to the pleasure and excitement he was feeling and that only made things worse or better...

It was a long time before either of them spoke again. They traded soft sensual kisses and held each other close. Shikamaru snuggled against Naruto's neck and sighed in contentment. Naruto was glowing inside. There was something soo wonderful about knowing that he was the one to hear those sounds, to cause them. The began again and soon Naruto's skin was tingling in an odd way.

Naruto had never imagined that such a simple touchs could send him soaring like that. He wanted more.

"That's it." He said through clenched teeth. "Strip!" It was a command.

Shika laughed out right. "Hasty." He said and actually 'tsked' at Naruto. That set the blond off. Shika sensed it. "Easy, Naruto. We don't have to rush." _We have time, our whole lives maybe and we __are not__ rushing __anything__. I almost let it, but I won't now. _He pulled the blond to him and kissed him as deeply as he could, trying to convey his feelings.


	10. Chapter 10

From the Abstract to the Practical

Chapter = Explanations and Emotions

Naruto couldn't breathe or think. His body wouldn't move. He gasped and groaned. If he could have spoken he would have pleaded for...what? He didn't quite know. When their lips parted, they were both breathing heavily.

Shika could feel Naruto's heart slamming against the ribs that encased it. Those lovely blue eyes were glazed. "What now?" was the breath that passed a pouting lips.

Shika leaned down and nuzzled the warm neck. "Not everything. Not tonight. We have time. We'll take our time, ok?" Shikamaru hadn't dreamed that he and Naruto would be together, like this tonight. When they'd left for the festival, he was sure that the blond had only come along to save face in front of their friends.

"You sound so sappy! Like some chick flick!" A burst of laughter that sounded more like a howl followed the remark. By the time the laughter subsided, Naruto was doubled over in Shika's lap.

He looked sheepishly up at the man from his resting place. The black jeans were a lot softer against his cheek than he would have expected. Shika did not look amused. The scowl, the narrowed eyes, and the arched eyebrows were too much for Naruto and he started to giggle again. He turned his head away, before he saw Shika's reaction to that.

Shika was getting irritated with Naruto. That was, until the blond looked up at him with the most adorable smile. He started to melt a little there. Then Naruto turned away from him.

Shikamaru couldn't resist the urge to run his fingers through that hair and didn't bother to try. When Shikamaru brushed loose strands of blond hair away from Naruto's ear, he saw why Naruto was being so obstinate. Naruto's ear looked like it was on fire.

Naruto had his face buried in Shikamaru's lap and the man was stroking and playing with his hair. That felt soo good. He would have laughed if it wasn't soo mortifying.

He turned his head a little and looked up at Shikamaru out of the corner of one eye. The dark eyes were looking directly at him, but they had kind of, misted over. Shika continued to run his slender fingers through Naruto's hair.

The look on his face could be characterized as adoration or love, if one chose to interpret it. Naruto was stricken. He'd never seen his friend express soo much feeling before. Even when he was angry, Shikamaru was fairly controlled. Even with all the emotions he'd witnessed today, Naruto had never seen Shika let his guard down like he had now.

_He doesn't know I'm watching. What will happen if I move or speak? _Would the spell be broken? He pondered for a moment, then moved so that his cheek rested in the warm lap and he could see Shika's face clearly.

The dark eyes moved to his, they were unchanged. Shika didn't pull the curtain back down over his feelings. He just looked Naruto in the eye with such sweet intensity it was heart wrenching.

"Shika, I don't care. Whatever you think is best, is. Just, don't stop looking at me like that, ever." The smile he got was a little jaunty, a little Shika. The hands that moved to cup his face were tender.

"Get up here and kiss me, then." Naruto obeyed. Who wouldn't? There were no words for some time after that. Shika had decided to show Naruto the things that he could show him now. If necessary, he'd explain the rest later.

Breaking the kiss, he shifted so that Naruto could lay back on the bed. Then stretched himself along Naruto's side. His hands tracing abstract patterns along Naruto's chest, carefully avoiding Naruto's nipples or any other area he already had mapped as sensitive.

He learned that Naruto's taunt stomach was definitely a hot button. The area were the seal lay hidden was very sensitive to his touch. He almost believed that he felt an extra warmth radiating from just beneath the skin.

His touch wasn't teasing, it was a gentle caress. It was an attempt to know Naruto better and bring him closer to Shika. He leaned in and kissed the soft swollen lips, licking the raw bottom lip tenderly. There was no hurry now, no demand for anything more.

He broke their kiss, only to begin kissing a trail down the long elegant neck.

Naruto had to ask, he felt silly, but he had to. "Are you sure you want me? I'm soo..." He didn't finish, his throat caught.

Shika looked up at him across his own body. "Gods, I don't think I've ever wanted anything more." He blushed fiercely and made a difficult admission. "I've woken up every morning or in the middle of the night, for months. Always the same dream, just little differences here and there; and always..." He hesitated. "Always you were there and...and gods know you're all I want." The heat was back in his eyes. Naruto could feel it radiating on his skin. He flushed, it was pride, silly pride. Shikamaru had dreamed of him, for months. Who else could say that?

Shikamaru had never seen anything quite like it. His honey haired god lay there, a golden skinned hand wrapped around Shika's hard neck. Those impossibly clear blue eyes were filled with soo much emotion. When Naruto gave himself in friendship, he gave all of himself.

Shikamaru knew he didn't deserve him. He didn't deserve all that Naruto would give him in this. _But I'm greedy and there is no way I could let someone else have him._

"Naruto. I want you. I want all of you." Naruto could feel the riot of emotions behind the words. He could see it in those deep dark eyes.

Naruto settled his face in the crook of Shika's neck. Shikamaru was stroking his hair and sighing. "Why is it so easy for you to say things like that? I don't think we've ever given you enough credit. Who would imagine you being so...so, bold."

Naruto blushed and giggled against his neck. It was an amazing sensation in a completely nonsexual way. Shika decided he'd analyze that thought later.

Shikamaru chuckled and held Naruto closer. This felt soo good, soo right. _Please gods, please let me keep this, please. _Shika prayed silently._ I don't deserve him, but I'll try._

They lay together, cuddling for awhile. Finally, Shikamaru insisted that they both shower and try to catch a few hours of sleep before everyone got up and they all headed home.

They snuggled together on the bed. Shikamaru was spooned against Naruto's back, one arm under his own head and the other holding his treasure tightly. Just before Naruto drifted off to sleep, he heard Shika chuckle and whisper in his ear, "Happy Birthday to me."


End file.
